Keiko Arigami
by TheAlteredDestiniesFan
Summary: Nabiki 1/2 - Side Stories. This story is set a year before the events of Nabiki 1/2 and is meant to explain why Keiko was so irritated when she first showed up in Nerima, and so forgiving later.


Nabiki 1/2,

A Very Scary Thought

(An Altered Destiny)

by

Jim Robert Bader

(Based on the Works of Rumiko Takahashi & Others)

(Special Chapter)

Keiko Arigami

LEMON WARNING:

Mature subject matter with many sexual references, may be too extreme for

sensitive readers; YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

"There you are, gentlemen, read them and weep," said Nabiki with a winning smile

as she laid down a perfect full house to her astonished opponents, one of whom

held a hand with three Aces, the other a Straight and the third a double

combination that included one Joker.

"How did you...?" one of the men sitting across from her said with a stunned

expression at being deftly outmaneuvered by this cocky teenage girl sitting

across from him at the table.

"That's impossible!" the man to his right angrily proclaimed, "First a Royal

Flush and now this? You must be cheating in some way!"

"Cheating?" Nabiki assumed a pose and look that protested her innocence while

her eyes held a dangerous gleam that was definitely arising to the challenge,

"Moi? You must be desperate or an amateur to imply such a thing, Monsieur Kobe.

How can I be cheating you? You three are the professionals here, I am just a

High School girl who seems to have gotten a bit lucky..."

The third man was up and out of his chair before she had finished talking, "You

expect us to believe that? You and the old man must be running some sort of

Sting to try to lure us into betting all our money while you clean us out! No

way can you be this good a card player, or this lucky without having some kind

of an angle!"

Nabiki did not look towards these angry men but rather glanced over at Genma,

who was holding all of her winnings so far, and nodded by a fraction. Genma

understood her meaning and at once withdrew to the rear of the private booth,

which attracted the notice of Kobe, who at once turned and growled, "Hey, where

do you think you're going with out Money?"

"It isn't your money anymore," Genma replied with a look over his shoulder, "If

you have any doubts on that, I suggest you take it up with my Niece."

"That's right," Nabiki replied as she slowly got up out of her chair, "Uncle

knows that I manage all the financial arrangements in our partnership. You

three lost fairly, accept the consequences and get over it."

"No way!" the man to her right said as he reached out a hand to grab her by the

forearm, "You're gonna pay us back out of your hide..."

He failed to see the dangerous gleam in Nabiki's eye one second before her right

arm suddenly broke his hold and snaked out to secure a lock on his forearm, then

she launched herself into the air and with a sweeping side kick savagely dealt

the man a blow that knocked him through the railing. While still in mid-air

Nabiki executed a perfect pivot as her leap snatched one leg back and

simultaneously launched a kick with her left foot that picked Monsieur Kobe up

off his feet and spun him completely around in a one-and-a-half roll that ended

up with him landing soundly on his bald head, while Nabiki brought both legs

together and completed her leap with a powerful front-kick that dispatched the

last of the three men into dreamland.

Nabiki alighted perfectly with her bare feet touching the table where the

remaining chips lay, then deftly knelt down and snatched up a blue chip that she

tossed towards the last man she had defeated, saying with her usual sardonic

lilt, "Here, buy yourself some new caps for those incisors. It beats eating

your food with a straw from now on."

She hopped back down to the floor then swept the remaining chips into a bag she

had brought with her, filling it almost to capacity before slinging it over her

shoulder and giving Genma a look that as much as challenged him before she said,

"Well?"

"Effective," Genma replied, "But a little too flamboyant. You didn't have to

put on such a show in taking out those three."

"I know," Nabiki replied with a hard, flat tone to her voice, "But nobody gets

away with calling me a cheater. As if it never even occurred to them that I

must just be good at reading expressions, not to mention an above-average card

player."

"That's the problem with professional gamblers," Genma said as they left the

booth, "Too much pride for their own sake...present company exempted, of

course."

"Of course," Nabiki replied as she fished out another pair of chips from her bag

and tossed them to one of the Table managers, who had come to investigate the

commotion, "Sorry about the mess."

That Manager looked at the chips, then stared inside the private booth, then

back towards the retreating back of the brown haired girl wearing the Martial

Arts Gi and back again, then he looked up towards a glass booth overlooking the

gamblers den and saw a distinctive shadow. Time seemed to freeze for a long

moment before he saw that shadow nod in a meaningful fashion. The Manager

swallowed then nodded back and snapped his fingers, pointing to the booth as his

Bouncers set about cleaning the place up in preparation to the next group who

wanted to play there.

Nabiki had not noticed this exchange as her eyes were on the more interesting

entertainments around them, and the other tables where a lot of money was

exchanging hands in a brisk and frenzied manner. She smiled her trademark

cynical smile and said, "Maybe you were right about coming to China, Old Man.

The potential profits here certainly haven't disappointed."

"I take it we make another stop by the bank on the way to the next gambling

hall?" Genma asked as if the question were merely rhetorical.

"Of course," Nabiki replied, "Wouldn't do to carry this much money around with

us everywhere, it might attract the wrong sort of attention."

"All part of training," Genma said philosophically, which earned him a sour look

from his companion.

"It's always about training with you, isn't it, Pops?" Nabiki growled sullenly,

"Nine years on the road and you still aren't satisfied. How good do I have to

be before you think I'm ready to return home to my family?"

"I promised your father that I would make you the best martial artist the world

has ever seen, Nabiki-chan," Genma said with complete seriousness in his tone,

"And you are no where near to achieving your full potential as yet. I thought

your experiences in Thailand would have taught you never to underestimate your

opponents."

"Big deal," Nabiki sniffed, "I won my last three matches, right? We had a lot

of money riding on the outcome there, so you know there was no way I was going

to let myself get bullied around by those stupid Kickboxers."

Genma refrained from saying aloud what was on his mind. In truth he had been

deathly worried over Nabiki during that last fight, which had come far too close

for his liking, and there was no way that he could ever return to Nerima if his

ward had been seriously injured or killed during that fight. Instead what he

said was, "Just so you learned something for the next time."

"Yeah, right," Nabiki snorted, "As if I'm ever going to climb into the ring

again with one of those Muy Tai fanatics. They seem to think all Japanese Girls

are either into Judo or Karate..."

"Excuse me, Miss."

Nabiki turned to glance at the man who had addressed himself to her, finding a

well-dressed fellow of medium height and build, perhaps somewhere in his mid-

thirties, impeccably clean shaven and having the defferential air of a mere

underling doing the bidding of someone much higher in rank to himself.

Aloud she merely said, "Hai?"

"I could not help but overhear that you have trained in the Muy Tai?" the man

said in flawless Japanese, "Perhaps you may be interested in a local match

hosted by some very wealthy clients. My superior has informed me that you may

fit the general requirements for a surprise entry in the tournament that is

taking place tomorrow evening within this very establishment..."

"No thank you," Nabiki smiled tightly, "I'm retired from the sport."

"There is a lot of money to be made if you win the prize," the man said simply

as though her response had been pro-forma.

Nabiki paused in the act of turning away, then shot him a hard look and said,

"How much prize money?"

"Ten million yen's worth," the man replied with a slight smile, "The local

favorite is expected to win, of course, but if you make a good showing you could

at least earn something by giving a decent point spread."

"Ten million?" Nabiki turned fully around and stared hard at the man before

passing her chip-bag over to Genma, "What time would we have to be there?"

"Six O'clock at the earliest," the man replied, "The match begins at Eight in a

basement behind the building adjacent to this one, facing the waterfront. Shall

I inform my superior that your name shall be entered on the registry?"

Nabiki smiled, "Tell him Tendo Nabiki will be there, and I'll expect to see my

prize money in legally tendered currency, no small bills or checks, and

preferably in American dollars if he has any on hand."

"Ah..." Genma suddenly found his voice, risking a sharp look from his young

business partner as he aired a nagging doubt that he had just formulated, "You

say my Niece is a surprise entry?"

"Unfortunately the challenger we had arranged has taken ill rather unexpectedly

and will not be available for her match," the man replied smoothly, "It would

have been a great shame for her to forfeit the match as most of the guests are

pre-registered, and there are a great many bets already laid down. That is why

we will offer a compensatory fee to you if you do not win, something to make it

worth your trouble..."

"Keep your second prize money," Nabiki smiled, "I intend to win it all. See you

here tomorrow, and have my prize money where I can see it or I'm not setting

foot in the arena."

She turned away, leaving Genma looking somewhat flustered, having caught the

sudden gleam in the other man's eyes once Nabiki's back was turned towards him.

The man was smiling in a way that Genma definitely did not like. Although

normally he was reckoned the more impulsive one of their business partnership,

the instincts he had developed from years of associating with Nabiki now came

into play and told him that there was more to this match than a question of

prize money.

He caught up with Nabiki as they headed for the cashier's booth, where they

would convert their chips and money waivers into a solid gold-stamped check that

could be cashed with the local Banks, and he started to say something when

Nabiki raised a hand and said, "Spare me. I already know it's a sucker play,

but what he doesn't know is who's the sucker."

"You actually intend to go through with this?" Genma felt appalled at the

prospect.

"Why not?" Nabiki flashed him that sardonic smile of hers that always seemed to

imply that she was on the top of the world and had no doubts on her ability to

stay there, "After all, like you're always telling me, it's all about training."

Genma winced faintly and subsided, knowing how impossible it was to argue with

his adopted Niece when she assumed that tone of voice. He silently prayed to

the Kami that this was not a mistake or the one time that Tendo Nabiki really

had underestimated the situation, or at the very least that they would somehow

live to regret it...

"The match is set, my lord," the well-dressed man bowed low before the other man

before him.

"Excellent," the extremely fat man in the tailored suit replied as he regarded

his subordinate coolly, "A most fortuitous discovery this Muy Tai fighter, and

just in time to prevent my losing face before the Tai Pans and their companions.

It is good Jos indeed, a sign that the Gods of luck are smiling upon me once

again." He turned and focused his stare on the figure inside the steel cage who

was presently training against a heavy bag loaded down with ball bearings and

shot-gun pellets, "You hear that, my Pet? You have another playmate to spar

against. Won't that be nice?"

The girl inside the cage, who had been steadily high-kicking the steel-lined bag

for the past two hours, stopped in the middle of one kick, then slowly retracted

her leg before pivoting in place to focus an angry glare towards her owner. The

look in her eyes was wild and predatory, the look of a caged animal whose rage

at the smell of blood was like a palpable force as she turned steel blue eyes in

her Master's direction.

"That's right, my pet," her owner assured her, "You get to fight once again. I

expect you to maintain your unbroken record of victories as I have a very large

sum of money riding on this performance. You will do your best to destroy your

new opponent?"

The redheaded predator in the shape of a human being merely brought her gloves

together and made a loud smacking noise, then turned to the bag and launched an

even more powerful kick than all of the others, destroying it as though it were

made of paper mache, spilling ball bearings everywhere in a shower of tiny iron

pellets.

"That's what I thought," her master smiled in satisfaction, "Only don't do it

too quickly...make it last at least a full round, possibly two if she is any

good. I want my guests to have their entertainment before you

eventually...finish her off. Can you do that, my pet?"

Arigami Keiko growled with an animal fury. She knew what was best for her as

she stepped away from the bag and unwound the tape from about her fists so that

she could wash herself off with a ladle that drew water from a water bucket.

"By the way," the fat man turned to his underling as though in afterthought, "I

forgot to ask if you obtained the name of this woman. It would help stimulate

interest to have her name up on the Marquee."

"Yes my lord," the underling bowed again, "I believe it is a Japanese

name...Tendo something... ahm...ah yes! Tendo Nabiki!"

Keiko paused in the act of splashing herself down with the ladle full of water,

her expression frozen in shock and belated recognition. Fortunately neither man

paid any attention as the fat man stroked his chin with stubby fingers and

frowned.

"Tendo Nabiki?" he mused, "I believe that I have heard that name somewhere

before...perhaps I should make some inquiries, just to be on the safe side. Not

that I expect her to be all that good, but you can never take chances in this

business."

"Yes, Master Phat," the other man replied, "I will make the usual rounds and see

if anyone of our people knows of her from other places."

"Good," replied the Gang Lord known as Chu Wan Phat with a sage expression,

"Expand the search if you have to and get back to me with the results. Now tend

to your assignment, I want to spend some quality time with my favorite pet

here."

"As you wish it, my lord," the subordinate replied as he bowed then withdrew by

walking backward with hands raised in submission. He then crisply pivoted and

exited the chamber, leaving his employer with his favorite pet.

Keiko was quick to reassume her pose of glowering anger while Chu Wan Phat's

eyes were upon her, careful not to betray any interest beyond that posed by the

prospects of another match. Victory had become all too common for her of late

and the opportunity to test herself with a genuine challenge was not to be taken

lightly...even if it meant facing a former friend in mortal combat.

"You are eager for the fight, aren't you my dear pet?" the obese man said with

an insinuating smile that read the glint of emotion in the redhead's sapphire

eyes as visible confirmation, "Never fear, your need for battle will be answered

very shortly. Until then contain your thirst for blood and remember to put on a

good show...you know what will happen if you should happen to displease me."

Keiko lowered her head in silent acknowledgement of the threat, then calmly

placed one bare foot upon the pile of ball bearings and beads that littered the

floor of her cage and casually flipped up a handful, tossing it up to shoulder

height before her foot lashed out like a shot and kicked the beads at the far

wall of her chamber dungeon where they rebounded, making a sound like rifle

shot. Just as casually she stood at ease, then bounced on the balls of her feet

and proceeded to shadow-bow an invisible opponent.

"Very good," her owner turned away, "I knew you would understand. Please me and

your reward will be equal to the price of my displeasure. Until then I will

leave you to make ready for your challenge."

Keiko watched the fat man exit her prison hell then sank down to the floor of

her cage, raising her legs into a full lotus posture. Instead of meditate,

however, she stared off at the far wall, silently wishing that she had kicked

the buckshot into the man's face, if she had dared to so defy him. Her mind

turned inwardly to memories that were so old and long buried that they seemed

like an entirely different lifetime, easily conjuring up the face of her former

friend and wondering if she had changed so much that they would not recognize

one another when they finally met again.

In a way she hoped that this would be so, for she had changed immensely from her

carefree days of Middle school in their native Japan. A time of reckoning was

at hand, she knew, and somehow she found herself both excited and dreading their

reunion, which for her would come in a few brief hours.

Only one of them would not survive the encounter, and a tiny part of her wished

it so for her own sake, but she knew too well that she was a survivor and would

do whatever it took to stay alive...regardless of the consequences. She only

hoped-for the sake of old friendship-that the same resolve would hold true for

Nabiki...

"So," Nabiki remarked to her companion in Japanese, reading the Cantonese

lettering that marked the building that they were about to enter, "This is where

the well-to-do come for entertainment in this city. Not many changes with the

exchange of ruling governments, and the Commissars are probably as much in

attendance as their Capitalist allies."

"That should mean a good turnout," Genma remarked without being successful in

erasing the unease he had felt for the past several hours, "It also means they

probably expect a good show. Whoever the local champion is she's bound to be a

tough customer."

"I'll try and keep that in mind, Ojisan," Nabiki said sardonically, "A Fish

market is a great place to hide the bodies, no? In this case the gambling hall

has a back alley entrance that leads down into a chamber that's officially not

there but which everyone in town knows about, including the police. Yes indeed,

that would be ominous...if we had anything to fear from bearding the lion in his

own cave."

"I think something in that analogy worries me, Niece," Genma cautioned, "You do

know that these people are connected to the Triads, and that bunch makes the

Yakuza back home look like a bunch of social activists."

"I'll be careful, I promise," Nabiki replied cutely, then started forward again,

"C'mon, I'm eager to increase my winnings, and ten million yen should just about

put me in a new tax bracket. Think of all the investment strategies I could

finance with those numbers."

"Just be sure we live long enough for you to spend it," Genma said in a last

ditch attempt at conveying his growing uneasiness in the matter to his

overconfident partner.

He knew, of course, that Nabiki's way was to never glance to the side while

keeping everything in her peripheral vision. It was one of the things he

admired about her, the extraordinary powers of observation she displayed from

beneath her pose of casual indifference. As they walked up to the side-entrance

leading to the secret gaming area, following the directions they had been given

to the letter, he knew that Nabiki was taking notice of every detail, every

nuance of their surroundings from the position of the men who were obviously

serving as guards to the more significant players they passed by once they were

admitted inside. Having descended a stairway to the basement area, and passing

through at least two check points and a double set of doors, the man they had

spoken to before appeared to give them further guidance to the area set aside as

a combination dressing room and storage space where Nabiki was directed to ready

herself for her competition.

Ordinarily Nabiki would have preferred to fight in her usual attire, but for a

Muy Tai bout she came prepared with a pair of shorts and tank top that had

served her well when she and her Sensei had traveled through Thailand on their

endless Martial Arts training mission. So it was that Nabiki donned her outfit

then took the time to wind bandages around her hands and feet in the traditional

Muy Tai manner. This was not necessarily to toughen them up since her training

had already made her limbs as strong as iron and very difficult to injure, but

for appearances sake it never paid to seem overconfident before one's opponent.

Thus armed and ready, she and Genma were led from the dressing room to the

actual arena itself where a large crowd was gathered in the cramped confines of

a reconverted basement.

They were met at the floor of the arena by the man who had spoken with them

before, and he had another man standing to the side holding a suitcase, which

drew Nabiki's attention.

"You are punctual," the man replied, "My employer admires that."

"I'd admire him a lot more if I saw the prize money in advance," Nabiki said

simply, then at a nod from the man before her the one with the suitcase stepped

forward and opened it to reveal a neat arrangement of bills in the currency

requested. Nabiki took one stack of bills and flipped them through her fingers,

ran the tip along one edge then made a show of licking it before nodding in

satisfaction."

"Good," she smiled, "Just keep them ready until I'm ready to collect them."

"As you say," the man smiled with that same cunning expression that had given

Genma the shivers before. He felt it now even more strongly and glanced at

Nabiki, whose attention was rather focused upon the stage and her waiting

opponent.

It had been something of a mild surprise for Nabiki that her opponent was

already in the ring and warming up with leg-kicks. Her back was turned to

Nabiki until the Tendo girl vaulted lightly onto the tarp, and then she

presented herself to full view in a combat stance, her expression already

showing anticipation as they locked eyes and stared at one another.

It only took Nabiki the span of one second to react with a gasp, and then she

blurted out softly, "K-Keiko? Arigami Keiko?"

"Konichiwa, Tendo-san," the redheaded Amerasian before her replied, her long

hair bound up in a braid that extended to the back of her knees, blue eyes

flashing Nabiki's way as if to study her profile and contrast it with a memory

before she added, "It has been a long time."

"A...long time?" Nabiki blinked, "It's been three years! What are you doing

here...?"

"Uh oh," Genma murmured, also recognizing the redheaded girl from Jubei Middle

School who had been a specialist in the sport of Kickboxing even then.

Something about the girl looked different to his experience eyes, more

dangerous, with a definite edge that he did not like.

His unease only increased when the smooth-talking man turned to Genma and said,

"So, you are her trainer. You must be very proud of your ward, Saotome-san."

"Uh..." Genma gave the dangerous looking man the sort of scrutiny a snake gives

a mongoose and said, "You know of me?"

"I did some checking around," the man said with an insinuating tone before

glancing to one side as his attitude changed abruptly, "You will excuse me, I'm

being summoned by my employer."

"Of course," Genma replied, not taking his attention off the man until he was

well clear of Genma's immediate presence.

That was when the announcer for the match stood forth to make proper

introductions of the fighters to the crowd, who seemed only to appreciate that

the women were very attractive and limber, though with her severe helmet-cut

hairstyle Nabiki had a slightly more boyish appearance. A few caught the

exchanges and took note of the fact that these two knew each other, which

implied a common history, but for the most part that simply meant added spice to

the show as their rivalry would have an added personal bonus.

One who was not so keenly amused was Chu Wan Phat, who stood watching from his

customary booth above the arena where he could take in everything through a

thick plate glass window. He saw his champion talking to her opponent with body

language that spoke of familiarity and he frowned somewhat in consideration

before saying, "I don't like this. It seems my pet already knows this Tendo

Nabiki..."

"That might not be so surprising, sir," his subordinate said politely, "I did

some checking as your requested, sir, and I found out that the name Tendo Nabiki

has been heard in places as far away as Singapore and Malaysia. It seems that

she and a man she travels with named Saotome Genma are a pair of wandering

martial artists specializing in an unusual form of free-style combat called The

Anything Goes School of Indiscriminate Wrestling."

"So they're mendicants on a training mission," Phat replied, "What is that to

me?"

"They are much more than mere mendicants, sir," his lackey replied, "It seems

that in ten years time those two have racked up quite a reputation in many of

the places that they have visited. The girl is some sort of talented grifter

with a penchant for gambling. She enjoys engaging in scams and swindles by

which she leverages sizeable earnings that she invests in a number of personal

accounts. I did some inquiries at the local banks and learned that the girl is

believed to have a personal net worth of several hundred thousand US dollars.

Of course, that is only a rough estimate based on preliminary data..."

"Indeed?" Phat mused, "Most interesting...and at such a tender young age. What

of her trainer?"

"Nothing special there other than the fact that he is an above level master of

the art, sir," his subordinate replied, "He is reputed to be very foolish and

something of a coward. The girl is the brains of their partnership and only

indulges her teacher when it suits her fancy..."

"Quite remarkable for a Japanese girl," Phat considered the point then said,

"And how were you able to entice her to appear for this competition?"

"I merely informed her of the prize money and showed off some petty cash to

obtain her interest," his lackey smiled before adding, "Of course I implied that

she could earn it if she wins, or obtain a lesser fee for her troubles in the

event of her defeat. I'm quite certain that she suspected nothing of the truth

behind my words. She thinks herself a clever sort and no doubt believes that

she can spot an unfair competition. I didn't bother to inform her what the real

consequences would be for losing."

"You did well," Phat said with approval, then finally smiled again, "This may

turn out to be a better match than I had hoped for. A pity the girl I was going

to pair up against my pet proved to be so...uncooperative. It was a waste of

such potential."

"Indeed, sir," his lackey replied, "The loss of a good investment, but perhaps

this new girl could prove to be sufficiently talented to make up for the

percentage."

"I do believe that you may be right about that," Phat continued smiling, a leer

that on his face had all the warmth and charm of a Mako shark that senses its

dinner...

"I don't believe this," Nabiki said as she spoke sideways to Genma, "What is

Keiko doing here this far away from either Tokyo or Hokkaido?"

"Perhaps she's on a training mission just like you," Genma suggested, though by

his tone it was plain that even he was not convinced of his own statement.

The announcer called them forward and Nabiki took her place near the center of

the arena, making a respectful salutation to her opponent while Keiko did the

same, her eyes neutral as she studied Nabiki cautiously. The other girl had a

grim cast to her lovely features that seemed to conceal a kind of pain that in

her eyes was as bright as a blade and warned Nabiki not to take her old friend

too lightly.

"Kei-chan," Nabiki said as the two assumed defensive stances, "What are you

doing here?"

"I'd ask the same thing," Keiko said flatly, "But I see you're still hanging out

with the old man. He still keeping you from going back home?"

"Yes," Nabiki said, "But I hope to return home one day..."

"Lucky you," Keiko snarled, then launched her opening assault with a speed and

savagery that took Nabiki by surprise for the span of a full half second.

Nabiki managed to dart back just beyond the reach of the first kick, but the

second came close to nailing her as she barely got the flat of her hand up in

time to block it. That brief contact stung her palm far worse than she had

expected, way more than an ordinary kick should have caused as she moved to the

side and deflected a punch that had been aimed at her solar plexus. Nabiki

flowed around the attack and struck back with an elbow-strike aimed at the other

girl's shoulder. She moved back and took a defensive stance near to the center

of the ring while Keiko whirled about with an angry glare, rubbing her shoulder

vigorously before slapping her palms together and assuming a fighting crouch

with a look of determination.

There was something wrong about this fight, Nabiki sensed it instinctively as

she looked into her opponent's eyes and saw no warm, fond remembrance of time

past and previous sparring matches of their youth. There was something wild and

menacing about Keiko's eyes, a haunted look that held pain and great fury, which

meant that Keiko was fighting with a greater edge than in any of their previous

duels. That look alone, plus their brief exchange of punches, warned Nabiki

that she was in for a genuine fight and not the easy victory that she had been

expecting.

Genma also saw the look in the redheaded girl's eyes and his worry intensified

sharply. Being a man with inborn survival instincts he quickly sized up that

this match was not some civil prize fight with honor and fairness for all sides.

This was the kind of fight he normally avoided, the one where no quarter was

given or expected, where powerful men stood back and watched as their chosen

gladiators fought and died for their amusement. It had been the very thing that

he had dreaded from the beginning, and of course the thing he had tried to warn

Nabiki against. After their problems in Thailand you would have thought she had

developed some of his instincts!

He cast a glance at the rows of cheering, enthusiastic spectators. Some were

rich and well to-do, others were common hoodlums and merchants, and a few even

had the look of policemen or public officials. Genma knew this type of crowd

was drawn only by sport that appealed to the most puerile of spectacles, the

kind where real blood was expected to flow, and in considerable abundance. None

of these really mattered, though, as his attention was next drawn to the booth

overlooking the whole chamber. That, he knew, was where the real power behind

this tournament resided, where the one who called the shots was watching and

speculating on the performance of his niece as she squared off against a friend

from her childhood.

Chu Wan Phat was indeed speculating at that very moment, seeing the Tendo girl

survive several more aggressive assaults from his slave. He could not help

noticing that Keiko was fighting more offensively than he had instructed, but

the other girl was weathering the attack while staying out of her reach and

taking her measure with only occasional punches and kicks as counter-offensives.

"Tell me more about this girl and her guardian Uncle," Phat requested of his

minion, "What exactly do we know about this fighting style of theirs, and what

sort of reputation have the acquired in their travels?"

"Sir," his minion licked his lips in anticipation of a very lengthy account of

exploits that were bound to raise his employers interest. He spared a glance or

two at the continuing Cat-Fight and found their duel almost mesmerizing, a

display of superior technique by two teenaged girls with excellent figures, just

the sort of match to raise any man's pulse if he had even the slightest

attraction for the fair sex...

Nabiki was not enjoying the match like she usually would at this point,

surprised not only at Keiko's energy and fury but the sheer savagery of her

attacks, launching devastating punches and kicks that were aimed to cripple or

even cause serious injury in a foe. This was not a friendly battle by any

stretch of the imagination, and when they broke contact to regather their wind

Nabiki took the opportunity to try and determine the cause for Keiko's

onslaught.

"Kei-chan," she gasped between short breaths that were used to recharge her

bloodstream to the right oxygen levels, "What gives? Why are you...making

things...so personal here?"

"Because it is personal!" Keiko growled back between breaths, "I don't want

you...to wind up like me...so stand still...and I'll make this quick."

"Huh?" Nabiki reacted in surprise, but Keiko did not give a verbal response this

time as she instead launched herself into another offensive.

Keiko was only a moderately tall girl, but her legs were long and extremely

supple. She had considerable reach with her kicks and she had power to match

her reach, so simply stepping to the side out of her reach did not deter her

from a second or third kick of equal or greater magnitude. Nabiki blocked those

few kicks that she could not outright avoid but felt their full impact against

her arms as though she were being swatted by a heavy iron bar, either that or a

small tree-trunk! It took no imagination to consider what one of those kicks

could do if they actually connected, so Nabiki redoubled her defenses and poured

on more speed to keep away from those kicks, trying simultaneously to avoid the

follow-up punches that slammed up against her arms with the force of twin

hammers.

Genma felt an unfamiliar stab of concern touch his heart as he watched Arigami

Keiko chase Nabiki from one end of the arena to the other. His Niece was a

strong girl and a powerful fighter, but compared to her former friend she seemed

to be at a definite disadvantage. From where he stood he could tell that those

kicks and punches were being charged with formidable power. Normal Tai Boxers

often practiced toughening themselves by punching and kicking at stone or wood

obstacles the size and toughness of palm trees. It gave them the ability to

withstand tremendous abuse while dishing out punishment severe enough to shatter

bones and rupture internal organs. Whatever Keiko had been practicing against

had given her kicks the power to put large holes in stone walls, and by his

reckoning it would only take a few such kicks to cause considerable damage to

his embattled ward. He thought about warning her of this or trying to offer

encouragement but quickly realized that she already knew this and could not

afford to be distracted.

Of more immediate concern to him was the conduct of the referee. The man was

hanging back watching things from the side without climbing into the arena. He

should have called a time-out by now or ruled the round indecisive, told the

girls to break to their corner to be watered down while they consulted with

their trainers...

And that was when it hit him: Keiko did not have anyone on her side who looked

like a trainer. There were two burly men wearing dark glasses standing near to

one corner standing in attitudes that informed Genma that they each were

carrying weapons. That was all it took for him to realize what sort of fix was

in the works, so without further adieu he eased away from his corner and began

to slowly circle about to their side, trying very hard not to draw any

attention.

Nabiki, too, had noted the absence of a time-out, which was very odd as a break

between rounds was the usual time when bets were made and the combat prolonged

to give the audience the best performance by the fighters. That the fight was

without rounds was certainly unusual, but the way the referee was hanging back

without appearing ready to call time outs or a foul was truly alarming. It was

further evidence that something was very wrong here, not least of which was the

attitude of her opponent, who had a kind of intensity to her fighting technique

that implied that no quarter was to be given or expected.

Nabiki had hoped that Keiko would tire out soon from this continuous all-out

offensive but instead she seemed to have almost limitless reserves of strength

and kept pounding at Nabiki with unrelenting fury, showing no sign of weakening

or lessening her blows after three intense minutes of combat. It was about that

point when Nabiki realized that her former friend was indeed trying to kill her

or at least pummel her so senseless that the difference would have seemed moot,

and that continuing to fight her defensively was not going to be successful.

Keiko could dish it out far more than Nabiki could absorb this punishment, so at

last-and with great reluctance-she decided to go on the offensive.

That proposition was not as simple as it sounded for Keiko presented few

openings and appeared to have good reflexes and a strong defense of her own.

Moreover Nabiki sensed that it would be folly to underestimate the speed of her

antagonist as the last thing she needed was to get tangled up in the other

girl's guard. Keiko was stronger than she looked and could no doubt inflict

real damage should she clench with Nabiki, so the way to defeat her would have

to involve turning her own strengths against her.

That decided Nabiki launched a series of attacks designed to keep Keiko off

balance while probing her for weak points. Keiko was clever enough to avoid

offering her easy targets, save those that were clearly faked to lure Nabiki

into a suicidal attack. Nabiki instead used her own kicks and punches to lock

up Keiko's guard so that their full force was harmlessly blunted, striking at

just the point when those kicks had not had time to build up sufficient power.

Keiko sensed what she was doing and threw herself boldly into an all out

lightning-punch attack that would have taken Nabiki by surprise had she not

ducked below and around it, weaving in and out in a pattern that drew Keiko

further off guard and left her open to a flying roughhouse kick that came up

around her shoulder and solidly connected with her jaw.

Keiko staggered back a couple of paces but recovered almost immediately, turning

a glare towards Nabiki that showed little more than simple annoyance. From that

Nabiki judged that the redhead could take as much punishment as she could dish

out, which voided several other attack patterns that she had been considering,

instead opting to improvise a more defensive remedy to negate Keiko's strength

and turn it against her.

So when Keiko came rushing at her with a furious energy that would have

overwhelmed Nabiki's defenses she countered by launching herself into the air,

perfectly executing a somersault over the head of the other girl, which

surprised Keiko completely and caused her to hesitate turning around by a

fraction of a second.

That was enough time for Nabiki to come at her from behind, aiming a series of

kicks and punches not at Keiko's face or chest but rather her side and hip,

hitting key nerves to block the energy flow that fueled the right side of her

body. Keiko staggered back with a pained expression as Nabiki took advantage of

her weakening guard to launch another kick, this time aiming for the solar

plexus. Keiko got her left arm up in time and blocked the kick with the flat of

her palm while she staggered back out of reach of her opponent. Nabiki wasted

no time vaulting into the air again, this time using a dragon-stamp that

connected solidly with Keiko's chin and knocked the other girl sprawling to one

far corner of the arena.

Nabiki alighted in the center of the arena, standing on-tip-toes as she regarded

her fallen antagonist, expecting the judge to rule a clean knockout. When no

bell sounded she glanced to the side and saw the referee just standing there

with his arms folded over his chest. Keiko was groaning and coming around but

the man did nothing to call a time out. Concerned and annoyed, Nabiki growled,

"What are you waiting for? Count her out already!"

The man just sniffed at her as though she were being incredibly naïve and said,

"The fight isn't over yet. Your opponent is still breathing."

"What?" Nabiki reacted in dismay, looking at him incredulously, and "What are

you talking about? I won fair and square! Call her out already!"

"This is a fight to the death," the referee replied, "No time outs, no knock

downs, only one Cat Fighter walks out of here alive."

"WHAT?" Nabiki all but shouted, "Nobody told me anything about that!"

"This cat-fight isn't over until one of you is defeated decisively," the man

said, "Either unconscious, critically hurt or dead. Two opponents, one victor,

no timeouts or holds blocked. Those are the rules. Not my problem if nobody

bothered to tell you in advance."

"It's no use, Nab-chan," Keiko groaned as she slowly fought to sit upright,

using one of the ropes for assistance as she felt along the side of her chin

without flinching, "The rules are the same as with Gladiators. That's all we

are to them, Cat-fighters here to fight and die for their amusement."

"What?" Nabiki said for a third time, giving Keiko her full, undivided

attention.

"What did you think this was?" Keiko spat, "A prize fight? This is Mortal

Combat we're talking about here! You versus me and only one of us leaving here

horizontal."

Nabiki glanced around wildly then saw that Genma was not in her original corner.

He was instead approaching two men in three piece suits who looked like well-

dressed thugs and decided not to betray him by giving away her shift in

attention. Instead she looked back at Keiko and for the first time took real

notice of the trace of old scars and wounds that was only partially concealed by

her clothing. She was immediately appalled and said, "Gods, Kei-chan...what

happened to you?"

"What do you think?" Keiko snapped as she finally got her legs underneath her,

still holding the ropes for support but recovering with a speed that was

phenomenal, "I've been through hell for the last few months. It's been three

years for you but an eternity for me, and it's far from over!"

"You don't mean you intend to fight me until one of us is dead?" Nabiki asked

when suddenly she saw the posts about their arena retract into the stage

platform. As she was starting to react to that something fell from the ceiling,

and all at once the bars of a chain-link fence closed in all around them,

cutting them off completely from the outside.

"You think I want you dead?" Keiko said as she stood away from the fence and

took a defensive position, "I'm trying to spare you from having to go through

what I've faced since I wound up here. You've got no idea what they're like,

what my Master will do to you if you survive. I've gotten used to it, but I

don't think it'd be any kindness for you, so I'll make it easy and finish this

quick and painless, if you just let me."

"No," Nabiki said as she took a defensive stance of her own, "I don't think so,

Kei-chan...and what's this about you calling him your Master?"

"I'm a slave!" Keiko spat, "What do you think I meant? I'll bet they even told

you there was a prize for winning...believe me, you don't want to win it!"

Her strength fully restored, she came at Nabiki like a whirlwind, throwing

everything into an all-out hurricane of punches and kicks that Nabiki blocked

and avoided as best she was able. A few seconds of this and Nabiki felt one of

those punches penetrate her guard and score, so she rode with the punch and

allowed it to carry her beyond the reach of the next kick, bending backward so

that the breeze Keiko's foot made only dusted her chin, then continued the

motion backwards as Keiko followed up with a side-kick that had no doubt been

anticipating Nabiki obligingly straightening up to receive it.

Instead Nabiki folded back and touched the floor with her hands as she brought

her feet up to catch that leg and trap it, then continue on so that Keiko was

pulled forward by her own momentum. Once lifted from the floor Nabiki flipped

her over and slammed her into the chain links. Keiko easily absorbed this

punishment and rebounded onto her hands to flip herself back onto her feet, but

then she sensed Nabiki coming at her again and darted to one side, raising her

arms to deflect the expected follow through.

To her surprise Nabiki instead attacked the chain link fence with a rapid series

of kicks that struck the links a hundred times in the space of a few seconds.

Keiko blinked her eyes and said, "What are you doing?"

"You'll see," Nabiki smiled, then again came at Keiko, forcing the other girl to

give ground for the first time in their encounter.

Keiko warded off the serious punches and kicks directed her way, grimly

satisfied that her former friend appeared to be taking their match seriously at

last, only to discover that she was being forced back up against the links of

their cage, so she ducked down and pivoted out of the way, again readying to

meet another assault that did not come her way as Nabiki again gave a hundred

rapid lightning kicks at the links to their cage, then stood away with a look of

satisfaction.

"What are you trying to do?" Keiko asked.

"Do you want to get out of here?" Nabiki asked her, "Or do you like slavery

enough to stay here?"

"Escape?" Keiko gasped, "But...that's impossible! Don't you think I've tried?"

"Nothing is impossible," Nabiki replied, coming at Keiko again, only to miss her

entirely and plant another series of kicks at yet another section of the chain

link fence, doing no apparent damage.

"How is that going to help us?" Keiko asked, almost in disbelief.

"Have some faith," Nabiki winked at her, "I know what I'm doing," and again she

came at Keiko, who did not even bother to step away as she watched Nabiki leap

past her and plant another series of kicks at the forth chain link wall, having

no more obvious affect than with any of the others.

"I don't get it," Keiko frowned, then brought her guard up again, "If you think

this is going to distract me, think again! I've been trained by the best!"

"So have I," Nabiki said, then came at Keiko for real this time, driving the

other girl on the defensive with a series of rapid kicks and punches that came

from close inside Keiko's guard, driving her relentlessly back into the center

of the arena.

Keiko managed to rally herself there, getting an opening that she needed to

raise one knee and thrust it at Nabiki, intending to connect with Nabiki's head,

only to find the palms of both hands intercept the knee as Nabiki absorbed the

kinetic force and used it like a springboard to vault backwards into the air,

landing perfectly on the balls of her feet with a smile in her direction.

Keiko brought her leg down and stared at her opponent, then softly said, "You've

changed."

"Have I?" Nabiki smiled, "You've improved quite a bit, Kei-chan, but it doesn't

change a thing. I'm still going to beat you."

"Oh yeah?" Keiko's temper flared, "We'll see about that!"

She closed the distance with a leap, but Nabiki was already in the air and

spinning with a kick that caught Keiko by surprise. Nabiki drove Keiko down

with a body-slam, landing on top of her and moving quickly to trap her wrists

with a pin that almost forced the other girl's arms out of their sockets. She

pressed Keiko firmly against the mat then hissed into her ear, "Say Uncle and

stop struggling, I don't really want to hurt you, I want your help."

"My help?" Keiko grunted, "To do what?"

"What do you think, stupid," Nabiki growled, "I'm not planning to stick around

here if there's no reward money, and I'm not leaving you here either."

Keiko made one tentative attempt to get free then thought better of it, "What do

you have in mind?"

"Just play along and I'll let me do the talking," Nabiki urged, "I'm getting us

both out of here...unless, that is, you like the accommodations."

Keiko desisted at once, then moved her eyes to glance as far as she could

towards her old friend, "You always were the charmer, Nab-chan. Okay, I'm

in...just get off me, will you?"

"Mind your manners," Nabiki said, then released her, standing back just in case

Keiko was attempting to play her for a sucker.

Instead Keiko got into a sitting position and remained there, bowing her head in

submission. It did not take long for the referee to say, "The fight's not over

yet! What are you doing? Fight her!"

"Why don't you come in here and make us," Nabiki said, ignoring the jeering of

the crowd, who obviously wanted to see blood spilled and were dissatisfied at

such an indeterminate conclusion.

"I have a better offer," someone else said, drawing Nabiki's attention, along

with everyone else, who turned to see an enormously fat man with a thin

mustache, flanked by two more men in suits, resting his palms on a cane as he

regarded the occupants of the cage as one might the denizens of a fish bow,

"Spare her for now, I have a far better fate planned for my pet now that she has

at last failed me. You've proven yourself the better fighter, Miss Tendo, so

you will take her place as my champion of these tourneys."

"I'm flattered," Nabiki said, "Now who the hell are you?"

"My name," the man said with obvious self-importance, "Is Chu Wan Phat, and I am

the master of this arena...your master now, as you will learn in time..."

"I don't think so," Nabiki said softly.

The fat man inclined his head and smiled as benignly as the Buddha, "You don't

really have a choice in the matter, any more than my pet. Feel free to act

defiant while you can, but in the end you will understand that I and I alone am

your master."

"And I'm supposed to be impressed?" Nabiki asked before glancing at her exposed

scars visible on her friend's backside, "What did you do to Keiko?"

"Nothing that was not within my rights as her owner," the man replied, giving

one the impression of an evil Charlie Chan in an expensive cream colored suit,

"Which reminds me, I am entertaining some guests tonight at my estate. You

will, of course, be the special guest of honor, my pet. I'm retiring you from

Cat Fighting and promoting you to entertainment, isn't that nice?"

Nabiki saw Keiko shudder but her attitude remained surprisingly submissive, "As

you wish it, Master. I will try to be...entertaining..."

"Quite so," the fat man smiled, "In perfectly honesty I have been considering

this for quite a while. I have always wanted to taste those sweet thighs of

yours, my dear, now I will indulge the privilege. Your friend here will one day

do the same when she fails me as you have..."

"Fails you?" Nabiki asked.

"Of course," the man's eyes showed just a trace of anger as he replied, "I had a

lot of money running on this fight, so I will have to make up for it somehow.

It's simple business logic, as I'm sure you of all people would appreciate, Miss

Tendo, being quite the entrepreneur yourself. Yes, a most interesting career

you have led, but now you belong to me and are a part of my assets."

As this was taking place, two men sought out Genma, who was merely standing by

himself near the two who had been watching Keiko the whole time. Genma smiled

at them affably, showed his empty hands and shrugged his shoulders as if to

tacitly wash his hands of the whole matter, including Nabiki.

Nabiki was aware of what her Uncle was really up to, though, so she gave no sign

of acknowledging him, instead giving the fat man before her a sardonic look

before remarking, "I take it the prize money was just a lure to attract my

interest, that you never had any intention of sharing it with me in the first

place?"

"That is correct," Phat replied with a genial smile, "Mere cheese to place you

where I want you."

Nabiki gave another look at Keiko, seeing the way her friend was shaking as if

with obvious fear. She turned cold brown eyes on the fat man and said,

"Interesting, but I think I've heard enough about what you have to offer. I

only got into this arena for the prize money, and if you intend to cheat me of

that, then I am leaving."

For a moment she saw genuine surprise cross the face of the enormous fat man

before he laughed in dismissal and said, "And how do you plan to do that? My

men are surrounding this cage, and you will only leave it when I say that you

may, and only after you acknowledge me as your master."

"Oh yeah?" Nabiki smiled, as she took note of the position of the men who had

circled around the cage with guns in their hand, then she casually lifted one

leg, raising it high over her head as she balanced on one foot, doing an almost

impossible jackknife split of a 170 degree angle, then suddenly snapped that

raised foot down hard in a stamp upon the exact center of the arena.

Keiko's eyes went wide as she felt the tarp roil beneath her with a shockwave

that traveled outward to all sides, shaking the part of the cage that connected

with the arena. The chain link fence itself vibrated sharply, and all at once

shattered on all four sides, the links coming apart in the center as the rest of

the frame collapse outward, the steel pipes themselves quivering with vibration.

Chu Wan Phat displayed an amazing dexterity in jumping back in his dismay, his

bulk quivering as he managed to get clear of the flying bits of fragmented

metal. His guards were much less fortunate as they got sprayed by the shrapnel

while raising their arms to deflect it. Chu looked up to find Nabiki casually

striding towards him with no obstacle to impede her and for the first time

registered panic as he cried out, "Kill her!"

The two men who had been watching the tournament from one corner reached into

their jackets to pull out a pair of automatic pistols. That was when Genma made

his presence known by stepping forward to lay a hand on each of their wrists,

locking them with a vice-grip hold before continuing forward, then moving back

to flip both men over. Genma was careful to see to it that their falls were

impeded by their skulls hitting the floor almost simultaneously, then he

dispatched the two men behind him before moving as fast as he could to head off

the nearest of the remaining guards, who were attempting to flank Nabiki.

"You thought you could double-cross me?" Nabiki told Phat as the man continued

to retreat, "Nobody gets the better of Tendo Nabiki!"

Phat's personal assistant chose that moment to step forward, reaching behind his

collar to pull out a long Chinese sword from concealment. Uttering a kiiyah, he

attempted to thrust the thing at her, but Nabiki casually spun about on her

axis, moving beyond the weapon and into the other man's guard, dealing him a

savage backhand that picked him up and knocked him ass over teakettle.

By this time Phat had pulled a gun out of his own shirt and was attempting to

take aim at Nabiki when the girl seemingly vanished from his view. It took a

full half-second to realize that she had ducked down beneath his field of

vision, which was greatly impeded by the mass of his stomach and slid closer to

him before righting herself up in his face. With next to no effort whatsoever

she locked his wrist with one hand and applied pain-pressure to force him to

release it. She caught the gun before it could hit the floor then made a

display of ejecting the cartridge, catching it with her other hand then calmly

flicking the bullets from the top with her thumb as if it were a lighter.

She tossed the two now-useless parts aside and resumed advancing on the fat man.

He yanked on his cane and pulled out a hidden blade but she knocked it out of

his hand with a kick, then turned with a pivot to plant her foot squarely in his

abdomen, picking him up and throwing him backward. Before he could hit the

floor with his rump she caught him by his lapels and held it with both hands,

forcing him to lurch up as she made eyeball-to eyeball contact and growled, "Now

it's time to hear my offer..."

Her senses picked up on the henchman with the Chinese Sword getting up to renew

his attack. As he started to move forward, however, Keiko's foot connected with

his jaw and tumbled him like a rag-doll. When he hit the floor some twelve

meters away he lay in a crumpled heap and did not move again. Out of the corner

of her eye Nabiki saw that the other guards had been similarly disposed of, some

in conditions that implied that they would not soon be rising.

"Nice save," Nabiki commented while taking notice for the first time that the

audience was fleeing towards the exits while Genma engaged several more of the

suited men, taking them out before they had a chance to draw their weapons.

"Let me have him," Keiko's voice was shaking with such anger that Nabiki turned

to see the wild expression in her face. Keiko had a murderous gleam in her

eyes, and her focus on Chu Wan Phat did not promise anything healthy.

"Not just yet," Nabiki said with some reluctance, suspecting that Keiko had

every cause imaginable to want to see to the man's personal destruction, "We

were just about to talk business."

"I owe him," Keiko's voice implied a wealth of understatement in those words,

leaving Nabiki with the firm belief that whatever punishment she intended was

amply well deserved.

"What about it, Phat-man," Nabiki said to her captive, "You think your Pet would

like to play with you for a bit? Give me one good reason not to."

"Because neither of you will leave here alive," Phat retorted in a show of

bravado that did not seem characteristic. There was a wild look in his eyes

that implied that he knew full well how vulnerable he was in his position, nor

did he seem to delude himself in thinking that the pair of girls before him were

a threat to be taken lightly.

"I don't think so," Nabiki purred, "In point of fact you're going to let us

leave intact, and do be sure to inform your minions that you have had a change

of heart and will present my prize money in the full amount...or my friend here

will have a new practice dummy. Isn't that right, Kei-chan?"

Keiko growled menacingly while Genma came up to join them saying, "This way,

I've cleared an exit."

"We were just coming along, Uncle," Nabiki replied, forcing the fat man to fall

in step between her and Keiko as she murmured, "Now, about that prize money you

owe me..."

Five minutes later his minions rallied their courage enough to conduct a search

and found their boss hanging upside down by his heals in the fish cannery,

dangling above the meat grinder that was used to turn raw fish into a fine paste

for sausage making. Phat's face was bloody and pulped as though he had taken a

real beating but otherwise he was a lot better off than he deserved, though he

personally had a different view about that.

Phat would like to have yelled at his men to let him down but having his mouth

taped over prevented that. He silently fumed and resolved to have his revenge

on Tendo Nabiki. He would set a price over her head-and that of his traitorous

slave-girl. By the end of the day all of Hong Kong would know all about what

had happened, and few would be inclined to forget the growing legend known as

Tendo Nabiki...

"You know, of course, that leaving him alive was a mistake."

Nabiki gave Keiko a sidelong glance and said, "Maybe so, but I'm not fond of

killing, not even when it's deserved. Besides, it tends to bring down the wrong

kind of attention from the authorities. I might have let you have your way,

Kei-chan, but standing back is almost the same thing as doing it myself. I have

to draw a line somewhere, so I guess we'll just have to be satisfied with the

beating you gave him."

"It wasn't enough," Keiko glanced at the window of the tiny hut that they had

taken refuge in near the edge of Hong Kong, seeing the rain fall outside with a

somewhat wistful expression, "I owe you for my life, Nab-chan, and that's the

only reason I didn't put that bastard's nose into his brain, which I really

should have as a favor to the both of us."

Nabiki gave the room a disdainful glance before remarking, "Let me hazard a

reasonable good guess and say that your former boss has connections throughout

the city and our lives won't be worth a Yuan come the morning. Won't be the

first time this has happened, " she sighed.

"Really?" Keiko turned an expressive glance her way, "You must lead a pretty

interesting life. I've spent the last three years living in a cage of one sort

of another, so...I guess you could say that I'm not as well traveled."

Nabiki looked at her friend with concern before saying what was foremost on her

mind, "Three years, Kei-chan? What happened to you? Why did you leave

Japan..."

"Hey, it wasn't my idea," Keiko said softly, "My...mother...you remember her?

She took me with her on a yachting trip with a male friend she was seeing, a

lawyer. We got jumped by pirates out of Thailand and they wound up taking me

hostage..."

"Pirates?" Nabiki reacted.

"Yeah, you know?" Keiko sniffed, "Fly the Jolly Roger and all that? They

operate in the south China seas, don't you know that? They like to prey on

small boats, catch the crew off guard, murder people and loot them of their

possessions. I...think my mother was the fortunate one, really...she didn't

survive. At least I don't remember seeing her again after waking up on that

boat with the pirates."

"Oh, Kei-chan..." Nabiki said, feeling an unusual wave of sympathy for her

friend as she tried to imagine the pain involved in those softly spoken words

and found that she could not, and was grateful for her own shortcoming.

"It's all right," Keiko said sadly, "I'm a survivor, I've learned to cope. Not

much choice with what all I've been through. You don't need to feel sorry for

me, Nab-chan, and it's about time I put the whole thing behind me."

"But...how can you?" Nabiki asked, appalled at the very concept.

"Because life is about getting by from day to day," Keiko shrugged

philosophically, "It doesn't do any good fretting about things you can't change.

I learned that the hard way."

"Kei-chan..." Nabiki murmured, feeling for her friend, only to turn her head to

one side as she heard someone approaching.

"It's just me," announced Genma, who deposited two backpacks on the floor the

minute he entered the hut looking as wet as a seal but hardly minding, "I got

our things, right where we left them. No one saw me enter or leave, they were

all too busy listening to their master shout and rant, calling them worse than

useless."

"You sure you weren't followed?" Keiko asked, "If Chu Wan Phat's men find us..."

"Oh, they tried," Genma said with a slight chuckle, "I left two of them to sleep

it off in an alley about five kilometers from here, heading in the wrong

direction. I was doubly careful making my way back to this slum sector."

"Uncle Genma is a master at stealth," Nabiki smiled, "He pioneered a system

based on breaking into a house, derived from something we learned a few years

back from a former Ninja, the Yamisenken."

"And its counter-art, the Umisenken," Genma replied before his tone took on a

sharp edge, "Which you have yet to fully master."

Nabiki rolled her eyes, "I know, Sensei, and I am working on it, believe me!

Now, if you don't mind, Kei-chan and I were getting caught up on old times..."

"I don't mind," Genma replied, squatting down as he removed the top half of his

Gi and began to wring it in one corner.

Nabiki gave him a withering glare, which he chose to ignore, so instead she

sighed and said, "The bedroom's just as fine as here. You can have the floor,

old man, I'm feeling generous."

"With what you took off that bandit you ought to be," Genma replied in

irritation.

"You'll get your share of it soon enough," Nabiki assured him, "Good thing Jabba

the Hutt is the kind of gangster who keeps some of his 'petty cash' on his

person, because that suitcase wasn't anywhere near the agreed upon hundred

thousand in US cash," she snorted and said something derisive about cheapskate

Tong Lords.

"By the way," Genma said casually as he set his gi to dry over the handle of a

broomstick that he wedged into one corner, "I heard rumor that he's fixing to

put a bounty on both of your heads, almost equal to what you took off his

person, if you can believe it."

"Some guys just can't take a hint," Nabiki said irritably before taking Keiko by

the hand and drawing her reluctant friend along as they went to the next room,

which lacked even a door to insure total privacy. They found a worn out bedding

that looked as unused and abandoned as the rest of the hut and sat down together

as Nabiki composed herself then asked, "Tell me the full story."

"Not much to tell," Keiko said somewhat evasively, "I was taken by the pirates

and...they had their fun with me. Of course that didn't last long before my

true Mistress arrived to take me away from all of that."

"Your...true Mistress?" Nabiki asked dubiously.

"Her name is Madam Lao Kung," Keiko replied, "She's...sort of like the Queen of

all Chinese Pirates, and those two were poaching in her territory, or so she

said before she had them keelhauled."

"She...what?" Nabiki blinked.

"They owed her for a past transgression," Keiko said somewhat evasively, "She

made them into an example. That's how ruthless she is with people who get on

her bad side. Me...well...she took an instant liking towards me and helped

clean me up and everything. If it wasn't for her...well, I wouldn't have

survived this long."

"Why are you defending her if she's a ruthless sea Pirate?" Nabiki wondered,

"And how did you wind up in the company of that jolly mean giant?"

"That's kind of an interesting story," Keiko replied uneasily, "I spent more

than two years with Madam Lao...almost three years, really, but a few months ago

she was forced to sell me to Phat to repay him for a lost cargo shipment. I was

kind of like a marker, only I know my Mistress was going to show up eventually

to reclaim me."

Nabiki shot her eyes and shook her head, then stared in disbelief and said, "You

honestly believe that? Kei-chan...what have they done to you? You're nobody's

personal property..."

"Not now," Keiko looked up at Nabiki, "Thanks to you. But for a while there I

was pretty happy to be Mistress Lao's property. She really wasn't that bad to

be around, and she was kind to me in a lot of ways...well, let's just say I owe

her big time."

Nabiki stared a long time at her friend before she finally said, "You're

serious?"

Keiko nodded, "Being a personal Slave isn't so bad when you have a kind and

talented Mistress, Nab-chan. Don't knock it until you're tried it. I learned a

lot of things from Lao, not least of which are those fighting techniques I used

on you in our fight. I have to say I am impressed with you...nobody's ever

beaten me before. You're the first one to break my unbroken chain of

victories."

"Wait," Nabiki said, "Victories? Kei-chan...you mean you've fought with other

girls and...?"

Keiko lost her smile and looked down, "You really want to know the answer? I've

done a lot of things I'm not proud of, Nab-chan, and that's one of them, but

like I told you back in the arena I look upon it as doing those other girls a

mercy."

"Mercy," Nabiki repeated, "And...how many other girls have you been this

'merciful' to in the past?"

Keiko thought a moment then said, "About ten girls out of eleven of my last

fights. One girl I was instructed to let live...and she wound up where I was

going tonight if you hadn't saved me."

"Ten of them," Nabiki was appalled, but she could not bring herself to harshly

judge the girl before her so she instead asked, "That other girl..."

"You...don't want to know about that," Keiko replied with a look that was

pleading, "Trust me, you don't ever want to go there."

Something in her tone convinced Nabiki that this was the truth, so instead she

said, "Okay, so how about explaining to me how you can justify taking a human

life in a pit-fight?"

"Law of survival," Keiko shrugged, "They would have done the same to me, if I'd

let them. They weren't easy fights either, Nab-chan, but none of them gave me

as good a workout as you did. Before I was sold to Phat, however, I very rarely

killed in pit-fights. He's a real monster that one, and you really should have

let me kill him."

"So you had other fights before?" Nabiki asked.

"Sure have," Keiko said proudly, "Sixty of them total, an unbroken string of

victories before tonight, but you're the first one I've met who it was worth

losing to. I'm not sorry in the least, even if I hope you give me another shot

at my title."

"You want to do that again?' Nabiki said in disbelief.

"Sure," Keiko smiled, "I like fighting...I just don't like killing all that

much. It really chews me up inside, remember the faces of the dead girls and

all, the way they plead for quick relief and an end to their suffering..." she

shuddered, "Gods...I don't ever want to go through that again! You really

should have let me kill him."

"But why a fight to the death, Kei-chan," Nabiki asked, voicing her confusion

over the entire ugly matter, "A fighter like you must represent a huge personal

investment..."

Keiko's bitter snort cut her off there, as did her next words, "Not as much as

you'd imagine."

"But Kei-chan," Nabiki tried again, "Fighters of our caliber aren't all that

common. Why make us kill each other when he could earn just as much staging

other fights and rematches?"

"Because his patrons pay the extra amount to see us bleed and die is why," Keiko

said bitterly, "It's how some people justify their existence, vicariously seeing

others suffer in the place, just like with the Romans. Don't tell me you're so

naïve that it never occurred to you that such people value other things besides

money?"

The concept was difficult for her, but Nabiki said, "You mean to say that Chu

Wan Phat loves the sight of blood...just as long as it's not his own?"

"Which is why he'll be after us with blood in his eyes, Nab-chan," Keiko noted

before saying for the third time, "You really should have let me kill him."

Nabiki slowly nodded before saying, "Maybe you're right, but I hope we don't

have another crack at him. Pops and I are leaving this burg, and if you want to

come with us you're more than welcome."

"Really?" Keiko's expression was almost like a puppy eager to please its master,

a total contrast from the girl who spoke so matter-of-factly about slaying ten

opponents in the arena, "You don't mind at all?"

"Why should I mind?" Nabiki asked her, "Kei-chan...we were friends so long ago,

and I don't see why we can't still be friends, as long as you promise to behave

yourself, and no killing!"

"I do, I will!" Keiko said enthusiastically, "Oh, Nabiki...you're so wonderful!

How can I ever repay you for giving me back my freedom?"

"I'll try and think of something," Nabiki chuckled lightly, feeling her mood

lighten somewhat now that the hectic pace of the day was draining away from her,

"It's just good to see you smile again. I've been wondering what you were up to

all this time, only I never guessed you had these kinds of adventures."

"You want to trade?" Keiko smiled, then sighed, "Gods...it's been so long since

I felt this way...seems like a million ages! You really don't appreciate what

it's like to be safe and on dry land, even if we're being hunted by every

underworld figure in Hong Kong."

"I'll take it on faith that it's a very good feeling," Nabiki leaned back on her

hands and studied Keiko carefully, "You have changed a lot...you don't even look

sixteen..."

"Neither do you," Keiko observed, then slowly got to her feet and turned around,

reaching down and pulled up her tank-top.

Nabiki could not control her gasp of amazement as she got a full view of the

other girl's back, which was lined with scars, some long healed, others more

recent. Keiko hooked her thumbs in her shorts and yanked them down as well,

exposing more welts and pink marks that covered her buttox. She turned a coy

glance over one shoulder and said, "Now you see why I think Phat is a bastard?"

"He did this to you?" Nabiki suddenly and quite sincerely regretted not killing

the man herself.

"Phat's an amateur at some things," Keiko sniffed, "Can't even flog a girl

without leaving her bloody. He gets off on seeing people bleed, you know, it's

the kind of guy he is. He gave me these some time ago, when I wouldn't

cooperate, but not so often once I started winning him money," she turned around

and exposed her undamaged chest to full view, "Fortunately he tends to prefer

buttox to breasts, so these babies are nearly perfect."

Nabiki's eyes went wide as she saw Keiko cup and fondle her own breasts in a

completely matter-of-fact way that implied a complete lack of self-consciousness

about her body. Keiko smiled down at her and said, "Well, what do you think?

Am I worth the price people pay for me? Care to make an offer?"

"Huh?" Nabiki gasped, "Excuse me?"

Keiko flashed a smile that implied that she was only half-serious, "I'm

currently without an owner, and while I like freedom well enough, I'd be willing

to consider you if you'd like to buy me. I'll even give myself a special

discount."

"Are you nuts?" Nabiki's eyes were very round as she stared at the other girl,

unable to help looking her over.

"Probably," Keiko sat down, still smiling and not even bothering to cover her

nipples or pelvis, "You can't exactly go through everything I've been through

and remain completely sane. I just wanted to see if you had any interest...no

harm done. I'm sorry if I'm such a tease, but the way you've been looking at me

I just had to test you."

"Huh?" Nabiki blinked, "Test me?"

"Of course," Keiko eyed her speculatively, "After all, nobody ever does what you

did completely from altruism. I'm not used to owing people favors that they

don't collect on. I just wanted to know if you might accept one from me that

comes without a price tag."

"Hah?" Nabiki asked, then she felt her cheeks flush crimson as she slowly got

the implications, "Ah...Kei-chan, I'm flattered and all, but..."

"But what?" Keiko smiled, "Are you telling me you've never been with another

woman, or even thought about it? How about a guy then?"

"How about a guy?" Nabiki gasped, "Uh...well..."

"You're kidding me, right?" Keiko asked, "You've never been with one of them

either?"

"No!" Nabiki reacted, then in a more moderate tone she said, "I really haven't

had the time to fool around like that, Kei-chan. I've been busy with my

training, and my business interests take a lot of time to manage..."

"It's always business with you," Keiko sniffed, "Or training. Seems like all

you ever did in school was think up ways of earning money so that you and your

fat uncle could support yourselves without him actually having to work for a

living."

"There's nothing wrong with being good at business," Nabiki replied defensively,

then glanced down and said, "Um...could you put something on? You really don't

have to sit like that with me...?"

"Why?" Keiko leaned back and puffed out her chest as if to emphasize her

bosoms, "Does it bother you? I happen to like being naked...it's perfectly

natural for me, and the time I spent with Madam Lao I never wore anything at all

except maybe a few ornaments and some gold chains..."

"Uh, what...really?" Nabiki blinked, finding the mental image hard to reconcile

with her memories of Keiko.

"That's what you wear when you're a Concubine and a personal love slave," Keiko

replied, "You live your life in accordance to the wishes and pleasures of your

Mistress. I happened to like living the way I did with Madam Lao, it was a very

comfortable existence, like being a part of an extended family with me and the

other slaves who comprise her harem..."

"Harem?" Nabiki knew her tone had climbed an octave but she could hardly help

it.

"Sure," Keiko replied, "Madam Lao likes girls. She had a really bad experience

with a guy who was her husband...you don't want to know about him. These days

she runs her ship with an all-woman crew, and you'd better believe that we

didn't live a celibate lifestyle or feel at all deprived without the company of

men," she winked an eye to convey special hidden meaning.

Nabiki just gaped at her, "Are you saying...you're a...?"

"Are you shocked?" Keiko asked hesitantly, "You didn't know I was like that?

Neither did I until I met up with Lao. Now the whole idea of doing it with a

guy..." she shuddered, "Well...I don't have too many pleasant memories of guys

from the last couple years. They all seem to want something from us that we're

not prepared to give them. With a girl it's a different story...but mind you,

I've had training on how to be pleasing to both sexes, and I'm very accomplished

as a lover. Of course it's not the same when some guy forces you into it, but

I'm sure with you it'd be very different."

Nabiki swallowed on a suddenly dry mouth and tried to think of something

intelligent to say. Her hesitation seemed to amuse Keiko who smiled at her and

said, "Oh my...have I shocked you, Nab-chan? I didn't know you could be shocked

by a little thing like knowing your friend's an ardent girl lover."

"Ah...shocked?" Nabiki tried to sound airily unaffected, "No, I'm...just a

little surprised at all...I mean, you fight girls in the arena, but you'd really

rather...?"

"Make love instead of war?" Keiko finished for her, "Let me ask you something,

Nab-chan...have you ever really thought about doing it with another girl? It's

not so bad as you might think, believe me. Heck, I'll bet you've never even

been kissed by a guy! How can you know whether or not you'd like it?"

"I, um...I just know," Nabiki said evasively, "Nothing personal, and I'm not

saying I condemn you..."

"Well, goody for you!" Keiko snorted, "Not that I need your approval as I have

absolutely no doubts about the way I feel when I'm with another woman. Granted

Madam Lao was a lot older than me, but she'd let me have fun with other girls in

the Harem, and even some of the crew, so the idea of doing it with someone my

own age is certainly appealing. In point of fact, I'll bet I could make you

smile and cry if you gave me half a chance."

"Hah?" Nabiki self-consciously backed away by a fraction.

Keiko burst out laughing, "What a Virgin you are! You don't need to look at me

like I'm going to jump you all of a sudden, Nab-chan. I don't work like that,

and I'm not a sexual predator. I never sleep with anyone who hasn't invited me

to do her and I sure am not about to force myself on you. I'm not a rapist,

even if the idea of making love to you is very tempting."

Nabiki swallowed dryly, "It is?"

"Are you kidding?" Keiko's eyes looked her up and down as if sizing up her

dinner, "Just look at you! You've got the looks of a model with million dollar

killer legs and a body that just cries out for all sorts of attention. You know

the kind of things I can do with a body like yours? Sure a lot more creative

than what that bastard was gonna do to me before you saved me! It's the least

that I could do for my rescuer, and you've been such a very good friend in spite

of the fact that I was fully prepared to kill you."

"You...were?" Nabiki was finding it increasingly hard to keep her thoughts

coherent.

"To spare you from suffering," Keiko replied, "But I'm very glad it never came

to that. It gives me the chance to thank you properly, all you need to do is

give me permission and I promise you won't regret it."

"Ah...permission?" Nabiki asked in a voice now thoroughly strained with emotion.

Keiko just smiled at her in a very odd way and said, "Let me show you, then you

can judge for yourself if it's a good thing for you or not. Just hold still,

this won't hurt, I promise."

So saying Keiko rocked forward very slowly, catching her weight on her hands as

she moved to bridge the gap between them both, her face coming to within a few

inches of Nabiki's own before the latter had time to react. Keiko hovered very

close to her, still smiling when Nabiki did not flinch away. Her lips then

brushed against Nabiki's cheek as Keiko murmured, "Leave everything to me, Nab-

chan, and you won't regret it."

"Hu-mmm?" Nabiki started to say when her mouth turned in to meet Keiko's,

surprised at the initial contact as Keiko lips closed about hers, their faces

angled so that their noses did not touch, and before Nabiki knew what was

happening she found herself responding to the kiss in kind. It was as if her

mouth sought the intimate contact within a few seconds of registering the

sensation, and then Keiko was pressing against her with gentle insistence, her

mouth hungry to devour those lips as she leaned further into Nabiki and parted

her lips with the tip of her tongue.

To Nabiki's considerable surprise she felt Keiko's tongue dart past her guard

and flicker there for a moment before withdrawing. Nabiki blinked at the

sensation then felt the tongue press in with renewed vigor, eliciting a totally

unexpected reaction in her that caused Nabiki to gasp in amazement.

Keiko broke the kiss then smiled and said, "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Your first French Kiss, if I'm not mistaken."

"Ahh..." for once in her life Nabiki's legendary gift for gab failed her utterly

as she stared back at Keiko with a look of wonder.

Keiko moved in again, emboldened now that her first overtures had proven

successful. Nabiki did not draw away as the second kiss of her life took place,

and rather than critically analyze what she was doing she instead kissed Keiko

back, guided not so much by her intellect as far stronger emotions took control,

along with instincts that had been enflamed with spontaneous passion. Without a

word she found herself slipping back onto the mat while Keiko moved in to

straddle her, pinning Nabiki with her hands so that she could ease her body down

atop her, and from there her moves took the form of a military campaign, roving

the territory in search of significant landscape. Nabiki groaned with

unexpected pleasure and lay back as Keiko took charge over her body, and soon

those hands were peeling off her tank top to expose the chest area, then working

their way down below to remove her boxer shorts and underwear, gradually

stripping Nabiki naked with an efficiency that spoke of long practice.

Keiko was smooth in her approach as she set her well-callused hands to work

roving over the exposed areas of Nabiki's supple body. Her mouth planted gentle

kisses down both sides of Nabiki's face, drifting from the left to the right

cheek before drifting slowly down to the base of the jawline, slowly covering

the neck with lips and tongue before playfully nipping her with her teeth to

leave the faint indentation of a hickey. Nabiki reacted to all of this with

gasps of amazement that encouraged Keiko to continue on down to the hollow of

Nabiki's neck and clavicle, flicking her tongue against the indentation to

produce an unexpected thrill that shot down through Nabiki's spine and caused

her toes to curl as she lay back in amazement and allowed her friend to continue

her affectionate onslaught.

As Keiko's mouth was giving her bed partner pleasure at one end, one hand was

drifting down to stroke against the nerves that flowed from the solar plexus

region on down the length of Nabiki's tummy, those sensitive fingers finding and

caressing those nerves in such a way that Nabiki felt her body clench and writhe

in tremulous amazement. That hand did not desist its relentless pursuit until

it hovered just above the area of the pelvis, then it stopped to explore the

territory at more leisure, weaving between the threads of Nabiki's silky soft

fur before winding its way to the height of a certain opening. There it paused

to linger and explore with even greater precision until it found the expanded

opening and pressed up against the tiny nub that appeared from its protective

pink sheathing.

The next instant Nabiki's whole body arched as though she were being shot

through with four thousand volts of electricity, and her astonished gasp was

ample testimony to the fact that she had never even imagined that such sweet

sensations could exist as she began to feel from that moment. In absolute

wonder she felt Keiko's hand slide gently across the unfolded petals of her

loins before pressing against the sensitive and well-moistened inner lining.

The sensations this produced were literally beyond description as Nabiki emitted

a groan and felt waves of pleasure emanating from this hub of her womanhood.

When Keiko began probing beyond the gateway of her pleasure Nabiki felt the

ecstasy of that skillful digit twisting and wiggling inside her, converting her

groan into a moan as she felt her stomach muscles clenching and unclenching.

While this was going on Keiko's lips had been far from idle, working their own

particular brand of magic by painting soft kisses over Nabiki's upper chest,

slowly working their way down as her tongue glided into the valley between the

soft peaks of Nabiki's bosoms. Those lips caressed in a circular pattern the

path of ascension towards the peak of Nabiki's right nipple. Said nipple was

already growing hard with erection as Keiko neared the areola while Nabiki's

shoulders dug grooves into her bedding while she turned and stared with rounded

eyes, unable to comprehend an experience unlike any other in her sixteen years

of life. As she watched with breathless anticipation she saw Keiko's tongue

flick against her nipple as though it were an ice cream cone being sampled. An

intense wave of unexpected pleasure filled Nabiki as she watched those lips

enfold her bosom so that Keiko could begin to suckle her like a hungry kitten.

The combination of the finger probing her loins and that mouth sucking on her

breast were enough to put her near to the edge without going all the way over.

Nabiki gasped as she felt her ardor hit a wall and crash against it, frustrating

her by preventing full completion. Her groan this time was half of agony as she

hovered along the edge of she-knew-not-what, wanting desperately to go all the

way over into the abyss that awaited her, the rest of her being fearing to tread

unfamiliar territory, which Keiko's double assault was threatening to invite.

Then she felt that finger in her snatch come up against something soft-but-

yielding. She gasped as she felt her loins fill with fresh lubrication but not

the full measure of what she felt ready to explode with. Keiko desisted on

suckling her bosom at that point and looked up at Nabiki with quiet intensity,

her blue eyes seeking confirmation before she softly murmured, "Do you want me

to do this?"

"Do what?" Nabiki gasped, at the moment of no mind to refuse any request from

her lover.

"I'm poised at your hymen and ready to penetrate," Keiko explained, "Once this

is done your virginity will be lost forever. Think carefully before you let me

do this to you...you might have regrets afterwards, and I wouldn't want you

thinking I was a thief to take it without asking."

Nabiki, of course, was familiar with the medical term for what Keiko was

proposing, but she also knew that without full penetration she would never

experience the full heights of the ecstasy being promised to her. It did not

take more than a second to arrive at a decision, at which point she merely

smiled at Keiko and said, "Do it."

"All right," Keiko smiled as she eased back from Nabiki, positioning herself

between those thighs that she straddled with her finger still in place, then

with a leer she added, "You asked for it!" and she plunged it in all the way.

Nabiki felt a sharp tearing, and then her hymen was penetrated. The pain was

brief, followed almost immediately by feelings that were like the bursting of a

damn with the rush of a tidal wave bursting out of her while Keiko knelt down

and placed her mouth over the loins, timing the action so smoothly that she was

able to catch the rush of jism that flooded out as Nabiki experienced her first

full-fledged orgasm.

The were no words for what happened next as Nabiki's body thrashed and her loins

spurted juice while Keiko hungrily drank her down and did not permit one drop to

be wasted. Keiko's tongue speared deep into the other girl's love tunnel to get

at more of the salty-sweet nectar like a hungry girl drinking down the elixir of

life itself, and the very thrashing of that tongue was enough to cause Nabiki to

shudder again, her hips bucking as Keiko held them down with both hands, riding

her out as Nabiki exploded for a second time in such radiant joy that she nearly

blacked out from sensory overload. She clenched again for a third time and just

rode it out as her body climaxed like the aftershock of a major trembler, and

then her arousal began ebbing slowly, subsiding back to a more dull languor.

Nabiki opened her eyes again, feeling fulfilled in a way that said that she

would never be the same again, and for the first time in her life she felt

really and truly like a woman...

Genma had been listening as best he could from the next room, picking up every

third word spoken by his niece and her new companion. He could only follow the

gist of what was spoken above the level of a whisper, but when the conversation

turned personal, and then the strange sounds commenced, he had looked at the

other room askance and wondered what Nabiki was doing in there. It did not

sound like his idea of either combat, argument or practice.

He got up to take a look then froze on the spot, hearing noises that even a man

slow on the uptake could have no trouble identifying. His eyes got wide behind

his glasses and he thought about rushing in there to break it up. What checked

him was the realization of what Nabiki would probably do to him if he did

interfere, so instead he hesitated, torn between conflicting emotions.

It was her life, he knew perfectly well, and Nabiki was entitled to make her own

decisions and set her own rules for personal conduct. He had long ago ceased

trying to fill the role of a Parental model for her after discovering how clever

she could be at manipulation. Nabiki made her own rules and would either listen

to Genma's advice or ignore it completely. They were more like partners than

teacher and student in this way, so Genma had long ago learned how much easier

life was if he followed Nabiki's advice rather than the other way around.

So he continued to hesitate while he thought more about it. On the one hand

there was Nabiki's proven ability to glide between obstacles that littered the

road of her life, on the other there was the simple fact that she was a young

teenaged girl many kilometers away from her family experiencing her first sexual

encounter with someone from her past in a way that she was neither mentally nor

physically prepared to handle, and with another girl no less! Genma was a far

cry from a prude but he did have his own inherent sense of propriety, and this

just screamed to him of something that he should-as her legal guardian-should

do something to prevent.

If they stayed together it would mean forming a relationship of that kind that

was unlikely to be welcome by her father. Genma had not seen his old friend,

Tendo Soun, for many years, but he knew him well enough to judge that Soun would

not approve of another girl making out with his daughter.

But what to do that would not involve incurring Nabiki's bad side? It wasn't

her physical skills that he was afraid of...after all, he'd been her primary

teacher and sparring partner all these years...but Nabiki had other ways of

retaliating against Genma, and interfering this way in her personal life was

bound to be highly unpleasant and financially disruptive.

Genma listened to the sounds of passion intensify in the next room and decided

that he had to intervene, but in such a way as to minimize the repercussions.

As he was searching for an answer his eyes fell upon a travel brochure that he

and Nabiki had acquired earlier in the day when they had been considering new

places to travel, fresh areas to be weighed for their training and market

potential. He picked it up and quite by chance it opened to a page his finger

had found by mere chance. Genma turned the brochure over to that page and saw a

name that triggered a distant memory, a rumor he had heard somewhere, of a place

where the finest warriors would go to test their mettle...

Genma stared at the page as though it were the answer to all of his dreams. Of

course, this was the answer! He was not a planner or even a great strategist on

the same par with Nabiki but some plans could come to mind on pure inspiration,

and at the moment he had an idea that would exactly fulfill the needs of the

immediate situation...

"So," Keiko mused as the thrumming in Nabiki's ears subsided and her vision

cleared, "That wasn't so terrible, was it? Still think you aren't the kind of

girl who can enjoy being with another woman?"

A soft chuckle came in reply, and then Nabiki said, "I stand corrected...well,

sort of."

"I wouldn't try standing up anytime too soon if I were you," Keiko replied with

a grin that would have well fit on the cat that had just eaten the canary, "But

now at least you know why I enjoy sex with another woman...and you're the first

I've had in ages."

"You're my first period," Nabiki admitted, looking down across the length of her

body to Keiko before remarking, "That was incredible what you did to me just

now, but how..."

"How did I know to find just the right way of bringing you off?" Keiko leered

before she moved to straddle Nabiki more completely, looking down into wide

brown eyes with her own blue orbs alight with undiminished ardor, "Like I said,

I've had a good teacher, and I'm very talented. You want me to show you what

you taste like?"

"Ah?" Nabiki gasped, only to find Keiko moving in for another kiss, this time

when she parted Nabiki's unresisting lips with her tongue she found the Tendo

girl ready to meet and respond to her in kind. Their tongues meshed for a long,

intense moment, during which Nabiki sampled a curious flavor that was like honey

and milk mixed with saltwater taffy and a dash of fish sauce with lemon. When

Keiko broke the kiss at last Nabiki reflexively licked her lips, still trying to

make sense of the delightful nectar that lingered on her palate.

"Like the way you taste?" Keiko grinned, "I sure did! Every woman has her own

distinctive flavor, and you've got a flavor I could easily get addicted to. For

a virgin you really packed a mouthful of cum juice."

Nabiki swallowed reflexively and said, "You...drank it?"

"Like mother's milk," Keiko replied with a strangely intense look of poignant

emotion, "Did you like it?"

"Uh...yeah," Nabiki replied, finding it odd to think of another girl drinking

out of her loins like that. Keiko's next words surprised her completely.

"Then you can return the favor," Keiko grinned, moving to position herself

around and on top of Nabiki so that her own shaven loins were poised above the

astonished Nabiki, "After all, turnabout's only fair play..."

"N-nani?" Nabiki gasped as she suddenly found the unfolding pink petals of

Keiko's loins thrust into her face as Keiko gently lowered herself into

position.

"Don't be shy," Keiko urged, "If you need encouragement I'll just give you

another sample."

Keiko's head bent down and once again parted the silky brown hairs of Nabiki's

pelvis, finding the hood of the clitoris with such ease that Nabiki gasped once

more in amazement. Using hands and tongue Keiko parted those loins and expertly

exposed the interior lips, spearing her tongue once again into their lubricating

depths and wiggling it to encourage further excretions of tasty moisture.

Nabiki could only gasp as the weight of Keiko's body held her down, her eyes

tightly clenched as she savored the feeling of that tongue buried deep inside

her, moving around like a great work in search of nutrients. She could barely

contain herself as she opened her eyes and once again focused on the pungent

aroma of Keiko's own vulva, which smelled oddly like a mix of honeysuckle and

tuna.

Well, Nabiki half-reasoned with all the coherent powers of thought left to her

right then, it was only polite for her to return the favor as requested.

Thus resolved she bent her head back and thrust her own mouth at the soft,

fleshy petals that beckoned to her in open invitation. Her first tentative lick

was hesitant as she had to overcome her lingering doubts about the situation,

but once the tip of her tongue caressed the flavorful nectar that lubricated the

opening she was hooked on the taste and wanted a further sample. She moved her

tongue with agonizing slowness across the opening of that vulva and produced a

shudder that caused Keiko to briefly desist in her own tongue-bath, gasping,

"Ohhh...that's good! But not so slow! It's such sweet torture..."

Emboldened by those words, Nabiki pressed her tongue in deeper and found little

resistance as she penetrated the opening and began to explore the interior of

her lover. Keiko buried her groan by placing her mouth back over Nabiki's

pelvis and renewing her attack with vigor. For a first time at cunnalingus she

grasped the concept with ease and was soon copying Keiko's own moves with great

energy and vigor. She explored that vulva both on the outside and the inside

and quite by accident discovered Keiko's clitoris.

The moment her tongue flicked across the hood of the tiny nub Keiko's whole body

shuddered and quivered, and a few moments later Nabiki was surprised to find her

face being splashed with a salty-sweet substance. It covered everywhere, from

her nose to her cheeks, but once her mouth found the source of the jism she

clamped onto it and began sucking on the stream, discovering to her delight that

Keiko did indeed taste like a lemony fish sauce!

"Ohhh..." Keiko groaned after her climax became no more than a mild shudder,

"That was...incredible! You sure...this is your...first time, Nab-chan?"

"Positive," Nabiki said as she began licking the cum off her lips and everywhere

she could reach, discovering a hunger unlike any other she had known in her

young life as Keiko obligingly shuddered again and gave forth a lesser stream of

milky juice, then grew silent.

"Ohhh..." Keiko arched her back as she groaned, "That's it...clean me off down

there. Don't need to be shy...the cleanest part of the body is the vulva, a lot

cleaner than the mouth or the anus..."

"Really?" Nabiki asked as she managed to rub some of the cum off her face onto

Keiko's thighs, where she proceeded to lick it.

"Ohhh...yeah...really!" Keiko gasped, "Bodily excretions are real hard on

bacteria, long as you don't have a yeast infection. The anus is cleaner than

the human mouth, you know, you must have heard about it in Biology..."

"Yeah, a little," Nabiki replied as she continued to lick between Keiko's thighs

long after she had removed all of the cum juice. Her lover's sharp intake of

breath was amble testament to the effectiveness of her methods.

"Boy, do you learn fast!" Keiko chuckled as she rolled off of Nabiki, turning to

lean on one harm as she regarded her lover from a Yin-Yang position, "I take it,

then, you like my flavor?"

Nabiki just grinned at that and repeated Keiko's own words, "I could get

addicted to that stuff. No wonder you like it."

Keiko's chuckle had an evil hint of mischief as she said, "You ain't seen

nothing yet, Nab-chan. The night is young and we're only just getting started."

"There's more?" Nabiki gasped, then realizing how naïve that sounded as Keiko

slid from her side and positioned herself between Nabiki's legs once again, then

reached down to grasp hold of her ankles as she lifted Nabiki's legs to form a

"V" between her thighs, positioning herself so that their loins were almost

touching.

"Oh yeah," Keiko said, "Much more! That was just the appetizer to whet your

appetite, the main course will really leave you gasping! I know a thousand

techniques for bringing you off, Nab-chan, and I'm going to practice every one

of them on you tonight if it kills me."

Nabiki gulped, then watched incredulously as Keiko lifted one of her bare feet

up to her lips and flicked her tongue against Nabiki's sole. Nabiki blinked

then felt a curious sensation along her spine as Keiko licked around her ankles,

then up between her toes before sliding down the soft interior of the well-

callused bottom, which had been fortuitously cleaned earlier when they came in

out of the rain. Nabiki was surprised at how good it felt to have her foot

licked this way, though her groan was especially profuse when Keiko took the big

toe between her lips and suckled it for a full minute.

Keiko released the foot then smiled down again and said, "And now I'll show you

a new way to kiss another woman. Take my word on it, this will really knock

your socks off..."

She again pressed their loins together, pausing to softly grind her bare flesh

against Nabiki's muff, then gradually increasing the tempo until Nabiki's loins

were fully unfolded, even as Keiko's loins were spread like the petals of a

water lily. Nabiki stared down in amazement as their loins began to mesh

together, and then the pleasure hit her like a tidal wave and she arched back in

disbelief as Keiko's clitoris found Nabiki's and the two began to strike sparks

together. It really was an incredible form of kissing!

Keiko did not stop there as she bent her body down until her large breasts were

in full contact with Nabiki's own swelling bosoms, and then she ground her whole

body atop Nabiki's, pressing nipples so that they flicked against nipples while

the fire in their loins rose up into their bellies as Keiko created more fire by

the simple principle of rubbing their bodies together. Nabiki's legs

straightened out as her toes curled and she felt herself clench with another

explosive orgasm, but once they had come down from their mutual high the Tendo

girl was quick to recover, flipping Keiko off of her so that she could straddle

her friend and give the redhead the savage treatment of an animal in heat. Her

lips were everywhere covering every square centimeter of skin and still it was

not enough to express her enflamed desire. She wanted to enfold Keiko, to

cherish, nurture and milk her for all that she was worth. It was frightening

the intensity of the feelings that had been awaken within her but she was fully

possessed by her desires and would not relent until she had given back as good

as she was given.

She made a point, of course, to trace each one of Keiko's scars with kisses,

almost like a mother wanting to make the hurt all better. She could not take

away what Keiko had suffered, of course, but she felt enormous desire to offer

what comfort that she may, not was Keiko complaining at all of the treatment.

Once the redhead had recovered her steam she once again mastered Nabiki and gave

further demonstrations of the advantages of female lovemaking. They would keep

at it for the next few hours until exhaustion claimed them, then they fell

asleep in each other's arms, embracing with legs entwined, their faces pressed

together as if from a mutual need for warmth that the cold of the night would

threaten to take from them forever...

It was not until some hours later that Genma at last worked up the courage to

sneak into their room, peering cautiously with all senses extended for the

slightest sign that either slumbering girl was wakeful. He was very careful in

his approach, sorting out which the two girls was which despite their tangle of

limbs and bodies, then he quietly knelt down and found the right nerve clusters

on both bodies, ensuring that sleep would continue unabated for the next several

hours.

Of course Nabiki's exhaustion had worked to his advantage, but the other girl

had managed to stir just before Genma found her sleep center, which caused Genma

a moment to marvel at such reflexes. But when he found the light and saw the

marks on her back he realized why she had been so sensitive, and he suffered a

moment of belated regret over what he was about to do to her. She really wasn't

responsible for what had happened to her, and it was hardly fair to deprive her

of real companionship, but the welfare of his niece was at stake and so he

continued with his plan, moving swiftly to bind her while being careful not to

look at her too closely.

When he stood up again he carried one of the pair of bodies with him back into

the next room, then dressed her hastily before packing their belongings, along

with the money they had appropriated for "Traveling expenses." He slung his

ward over his shoulder then headed out into the night, having already plotted

the route for their escape so that they could leave Hong Kong for the interior

of China...

Nabiki was roused from a deep and restful sleep in the middle of the night to

find her Uncle Genma perched over her with concern written plain upon his

features. As if that were not strange enough, Nabiki discovered that they were

outdoors in the middle of a strange woodland that she did not recognize with no

hints of the city at all. She sat upright and discovered that she was wearing

her usual clothing, which implied to her that she had been dressed during the

night by Genma.

And then something else occurred to her and she looked around frantically before

gasping, "Keiko-chan?"

"I'm sorry," Genma replied, "I did everything I could...it was terrible! I've

failed you, my student!"

"What?" Nabiki half got to a semi-upright crouch, staring at the cringing man

before her, "What are you saying? What about Kei-chan?"

"Chu Wan Phat's men..." Genma all but openly sobbed, "They came in the night...I

fought them off, but there were too many! I had to grab everything on the run,

including you, while Keiko..."

"What are you talking about?" Nabiki seized the man by his collar, "What about

Kei-chan?"

"She stayed behind," Genma replied, "I couldn't rouse you in time, so I fled

carrying you over my shoulder with both of our packs. It was touch and go for a

while there, but at least the two of us are safe..."

"Safe?" the word sounded hollow on Nabiki's lips before she intensified her

grasp on her Sensei and all but shouted, "You left her BEHIND? How could

you!"

"Would you rather we all three stayed behind and perished?" Genma asked her,

"It's a noble and heroic way to go, I'll grant you..."

"Shut up!" Nabiki cried as she physically lifted the heavier man and threw him

over to land on his back a short distance away, "You left her to die!"

Genma easily absorbed the landing then straightened up and from a sitting

posture replied, "I wouldn't count her for dead just yet. Your friend is a very

strong girl with good survival instincts, the same as you. No doubt you two

will be seeing each other again, someday."

"That's not the point!" Nabiki raged, "You could have awaken me! We could have

fought them all off, no matter how many there were..."

"That's your ego talking for you, Niece," Genma replied flatly, "You're good but

you're not invincible, and you should never discount the weight of an enemy's

numbers. How many people do you think Chu Wan Phat will be able to send against

us if he can put a price on your head to equal your winnings?"

"Huh?" Nabiki gasped as the truth behind those words sank in, then as memories

of the night before passed through her mind she stared down at the ground and

felt her heart grow cold with foreboding.

Genma straightened up and his attitude grew challenging. He gestured

dramatically her way and said, "Listen to me, Nabiki-chan. Your friend is not

dead so long as you carry her memory in your heart, but meanwhile you must

struggle to stay alive for your own sake. I promised your father that I would

protect you, and that is a promise I am honor bound to keep."

"You just don't want to have to explain things to him when we get home," Nabiki

said, but her tone signaled defeat as she stared away at the ground, clenching

her fists and remembering red hair, a lovely face and the boyish mannerisms that

had made it easy to submit to the caresses of another girl...her first true

lover...

"That too," Genma sighed, regretting the lies he had just told, but knowing too

well that Nabiki would see right through him to the truth if he did not offer

her something to take her mind away from all thoughts of desertion. Instead he

plied his ace in the hole and said, "But there is good news to go with the rest.

I'm happy to report that you are improving in your training. Soon you will be

good enough for me to present you to your father. The fight in the arena

confirms what I have long suspected, and one year from now you will become the

fighter I always knew you were. We can both return home to our families in

mutual triumph."

"Really?" Nabiki asked suspiciously, "You mean that this time? A year from now?

We really are going home then?"

"Of course," Genma replied affably, "I want to see my son and wife as much as

you do your sisters and father. My boy will almost be a man when I next see

him, and that much closer to uniting our families so that I really will become

your uncle."

"That's assuming he and Akane are still interested in each other," Nabiki

replied, glancing at their supplies now that she was thinking more coherently,

though her expression was filled with sadness.

"It's all there," Genma informed her, "I made sure not to leave the money lying

around, not that we'll need to spend that much where we're going."

"Where we're...what?" Nabiki was instantly suspicious.

"We need to get away for a while," Genma replied, "Hong Kong has become too hot

for us, and I don't think that gang lord will be too forgiving about the way we

left them. I thought perhaps a trip through the country would help us escape

unwanted notice until the heat dies down, and where better to hide ourselves

than in a land of over a billion other people?"

"A billion other...you mean China?" Nabiki said, suddenly understanding why the

terrain looked so unfamiliar.

"Where do you think we are?" Genma smiled, "While you were sleeping I snuck us

past the border patrols, figuring that would be the last place that anyone would

look. After all in these days since the Communists took over who would expect

anyone of sneaking into the mainland by means other than the main roads?"

"No one in their right mind, naturally," Nabiki brushed her hair across her

forehead then sighed, "Anyplace you have in mind? We've already been to

Shanghai..."

"I was thinking of something else," Genma smiled at her, "Remote and obscure,

but a perfect place to further your training to the next level. Tell me, girl,

have you ever heard of a place called Jusenkyo?"

"No," Nabiki asked, "Why should I have?"

"There is a legend that says it is the birthplace of warriors," Genma replied,

"Where the bravest and most accomplished come to train and fight, and where an

average fighter can emerged transformed into a champion out of legend. That's

where we're headed, girl, to prove that you really are the best that this world

has to offer."

"Jusenkyo, huh?" Nabiki considered the point, "Well...why not? Is it far?"

"Does it matter?" Genma asked, "It's not the distance you cover, it's what you

do until you get there."

"True enough," Nabiki said as she knelt down to shoulder her pack, then

straighten out and say, "All right, Ojisan, lead the way, but after we're

through with this I expect you to carry through on your promise."

"I know girl," Genma replied as she shouldered his own pack, "One year from now

we'll both be home and then we can both finally relax in peace and contentment.

Your father will be very proud when he sees what a great warrior you have

become..."

"I'd be happier if I finally got the chance to spend some of the money I've been

salting away," Nabiki sniffed as she fell into stride alongside her middle-aged

instructor, "I'd like to buy a new wardrobe, something other than training gi's,

maybe some nice feminine clothes to show off my girlish figure."

Genma smiled to himself, gratified that he finally was able to put one over on

his niece. He had no idea if what he had told her about the Jusenkyo training

grounds was true or not, having made most of it up on the spot since he could

not read the Chinese script on the brochure to confirm his dim memories of what

a certain lady had once told him about this place called the Cursed Springs of

Jusenkyo...

Keiko awoke to find the space beside her was empty. More to the point she found

herself tied up with rope, preventing her from doing more than wiggle slightly.

This was hardly a first for her, but the bindings lacked the usual finesse of

her former Mistress, or even the lurid bindings of her so-called Master, and she

was hardly enjoying the experience in any event as the ropes were merely

inconvenient.

Fortunately for her she could still move her head, so she snapped it forward and

flipped her long red braid up and onto her stomach. Moving a hand as far as she

was able she managed to get the ball on the tip between her thumb and

forefinger. She pressed hard on the sides and out flipped a pair of razor-sharp

blades, which same she then used to cut herself free through slow and

painstaking effort.

When at last she had worked past her bonds she moved to examine the covers and

found a wad of bills with a note had taken the place of her Nabiki-chan. She

studied the crude handwritten note in badly misspelled Japanese, realizing that

the style could never have been forged by Nabiki's skillful hands and frowned at

the realization that it had been Genma who had tied her up and left her.

What the message said was: "Sorry to do this to you, Keiko-san, but I need my

niece to come with me on a special errand. I've left you some money so that you

can buy yourself safe passage on a boat headed towards Japan. Use it wisely and

we'll meet up with you someday in Nerima."

"Genma," Keiko crushed the note into a ball between her hands as she snarled the

word, then threw the wad with all her might against the nearest wall and

shouted, "You said you would take me with you! Was it all just lies meant to

deceive me?"

A moment of calm reflection assured her that it could not have been the case.

Nabiki would not abandon her, nor break her word like this. Somehow the old man

had convinced her to slip away in the dead of night and abandon Keiko to her

fate. This was an unforgivable breech of trust on their part, and Keiko had no

intention of allowing the pair to get away with from her Scot-free.

She had no belongings to pack, other than the money, which turned out to be a

few thousand dollars in US currency, just enough to live on if she was careful

and measured it out according to her basic needs. She would need to purchase a

few things from the market while avoiding unwanted attention. By now Phat was

turning the whole city upside down looking for them. Unfortunately for him

Keiko knew how to slip past guards and make her escape from the city. Once free

she would have to follow the fresh trail of Nabiki, which meant thinking like

Genma, a frightening proposition.

Where would she go if she were a devout coward who wanted to avoid trouble? Not

the ports, ships or airport surely, they would all be covered by Phat's agents.

She had no idea when Madam Lao would next be in port at any rate, so that left

solely discovering which way Nabiki had gone solely up to her. Knowing as much

as Keiko did about Hong Kong it did not take her too long to deduce the

direction.

The mainland! Keiko left the abandoned hut and never looked back, going the

route she felt certain that Genma would take to flee hastily out of the city and

into the pages of a destiny such as she never would have suspected. Keiko was

determined to find her true love and win her back while simultaneously getting

even with Genma, a task that she hoped would earn the approval even of the lofty

Buddha...

Continued.

Comments/Criticism/Non-Hentai (per)version: shadowmane

This story is set a year before the events of Nabiki 1/2 and is meant to explain

why Keiko was so irritated when she first showed up in Nerima, and so forgiving

later.

Next: Nabiki goes to Jusenkyo, then winds up in a certain Amazon village where

her next fateful encounter will occur. Would you please be there for the

marriage dance of Shampoo and Nabiki? You are cordially invited...

If you wish to check out my other works, Please check out my

Fanfiction webpage at: . or

it's mirror site at: ~

All related chapters of this series can be found there along with my

other works.


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